Paul Mascart (1874-1958) "thi River - New Caledonia" Watercolor And Gouache, Signed

Paul MASCART (1874-1958)
"Rivière THI New Caledonia" Watercolor, signed lower right, located in the middle 24.5 x 32 cm

A watercolor by Paul Mascart, entitled "Rivière Thi. New Caledonia" takes us to Saint-Louis. It would be difficult to locate the site precisely in the absence of a small clue visible under the palms of the large coconut tree on the left, namely a bell tower, undoubtedly that of the mission church. If you are not familiar with the place, a little difficult to access recently, you can refer to the geographical maps and see that the Thi River which descends from the Koghi mountains divides into two branches upstream of the mission and that its easternmost branch passes just behind the church. The artist probably set up his easel on the bank of this branch of the river, a little south of the mission buildings. It faces the Koghi Mountains which can be seen in the background. A postcard of the Thi River from the period depicts the same site with striking similarity.